Many Years Later
by cherryredxx
Summary: It wasn't until many years later – long after Sirius had died – that Ginny understood completely.


**Author's Note:** I wrote this little oneshot for the Cross-Gen Boot Camp (prompt: cryptic) and the We Are Never, Ever Getting Together challenge (prompts: starlight, warm, disguise, message). I hope the ending makes sense. If not, let me know! Thanks to Sam (MissingMommy) for her input.

x

Being cooped up in an old house all summer was hardly what Ginny Weasley considered fun or fair. She understood why everyone was concerned for her safety – You-Know-Who was back, after all, and it wasn't like she hadn't had an encounter with him already, besides the fact that she was barely fourteen and not allowed to practice magic outside of school – but it was tiresome to spend every day sitting around amongst old portraits and musty books with absolutely _nothing_ to do.

So after blackmailing the twins into covering for her – and they grudgingly agreed to because they knew how their mother would react to the stacks of Playwizard that Ginny had found in their bedroom – she talked them into putting simple glamour charms on her so that she did not appear quite so Weasley.

Once thoroughly disguised, Ginny headed towards the back door of the house. However, that was about as far as she was able to make it.

"Going somewhere, love?"

Halted in her tracks as she was set to step off the porch, Ginny turned around and was greeted by the sight of a highly amused Sirius Black.

She flushed at the knowing look that he was giving her. She was quite certain that he'd snuck out of his ancestral home plenty of times during his youth.

"It's not safe out there for a young witch, you know," he said solemnly. "You ought to go back inside."

"I was just going to look up at the stars," she improvised. "You know, there's not a great view of the sky inside the house."

Sirius gave off a bark-like laugh. "Now I know you can come up with a better excuse than that."

Color flooded her cheeks again. It was bad enough that she had been caught leaving the house, but to be caught by _him_ was simply petrifying. They'd hardly spoken to each other by that point, and it was so embarrassing that the first time he'd actually noticed her was when she was misbehaving.

He patted the spot beside him on the porch. "Why don't you come sit beside me, and we'll see what we can do about getting rid of those charms, shall we?"

After a brief moment of contemplation, Ginny nodded and took the proffered seat.

Sirius tapped his wand to her hair and face, changing her temporarily brown hair back to its normal red, her eyes back to brown, and returning the freckles back to her skin. Being so close to Sirius made her skin feel warm. Though they hadn't spoken much, she couldn't help but feel an extreme attraction to him. Not only was he an older, attractive man, but he was also just a little bit mysterious, and who _wouldn't_ find that appealing?

Once the glamour charms had all been lifted, Sirius smiled at Ginny lightly. "Now why in the world would you ever want to change yourself like that?"

She shrugged. "I thought I'd be too easily recognized as a Weasley if I had my red hair and freckles."

He smiled again. "So you wanted to be plain and boring then? Something you're definitely not."

For the third time in ten minutes, Ginny could feel her face growing hotter. "Just for this evening I wanted to be someone different. While I was out."

"Ah. And what was it you planned to do while you were out?"

She opened her mouth to speak and then closed it almost immediately. "To be honest, I really didn't have a plan. I just feel so trapped here."

"Now _that _is something I can relate to."

"But you're home, aren't you? Surely you feel more comfortable being here than I do."

"Love, I have not lived here since I was just a few years older than you are. I left home when I was sixteen – went and lived with the Potters."

Ginny pulled her knees close to her chest. "Why did you leave?"

"Let's just say that I didn't quite see eye-to-eye with the rest of my family," Sirius answered wryly. "You don't know how lucky you are to have such a wonderful and supportive family who loves you unconditionally." He paused, biting at his lip slightly. "The family that I grew up with disowned me because I was different from them."

She considered his words for a few moments. "I suppose – I suppose when I think about it like that, I am lucky."

Sirius nodded, satisfied.

"But I've got more than just my family, you know."

He smiled at her once again. "Do you now?"

"I do," she confirmed. "I've got a wonderful friend to talk to when I'm feeling trapped because I know he's feeling the same way that I am."

Sirius gave off his bark-like laugh once again. "You wouldn't be referring to me, would you?"

"Of course I am. You're wonderful to talk to."

"And just think. I was beginning to think of myself as completely useless."

Ginny's face hardened at that and she stared at him for a full minute. "Sirius, you could never be useless. That's complete and utter rubbish. You're wonderful, and I don't want to hear you talk like that about yourself ever again, do you hear me?"

"Yes, Molly," he chided.

She glared at him. "Honestly, Sirius. You're one of the few reasons why it's not completely unbearable to be here."

"And you're one of the few reasons why I still have hope."

Her heart warmed at his words, and without thinking, she reached out and wrapped her arms around the older man. He responded somewhat awkwardly, and she pulled away with a slight blush. "Sorry about that," she said. "I'm not sure what came over me."

Sirius smiled. "You should probably think about going back inside, love."

"You trying to get rid of me?" she teased.

"Not at all." He swallowed visibly. "But I think it would be wise for you to spend as little time around me as possible."

Ginny felt a pang at those words. "Why?"

"Because you, Miss Weasley, remind me so much of someone that I knew when I was your age – your love. Your spirit."

"Who's that?"

He tapped her on the shoulder as he stood. "Lily Evans."

Ginny followed suit and re-entered the house, feeling that what Sirius had said was rather cryptic. She spent the remainder of the evening contentedly in her bedroom thinking about the conversation she had had with him. It wasn't until much later that she realized that Lily Evans was Harry's mother. And it wasn't until much later that she realized how odd it was that he referred to her as Evans rather than Potter.

It wasn't until many years later – long after Sirius had died – that Ginny understood completely.


End file.
